Remember Me As I Once Was
by Isabella of the Night
Summary: S3AU Elena never wanted to pursue forever, so Damon made sure she never did. 15 yrs later however, the past catches up to her in the form of Klaus and his Ripper. Not only that, Elena accidentally revived another Original, bent on revenge.
1. Damon's show of goodwill

**A/n**- Hello, this is my first time writing a VD fanfic and hopefully it is a unique fanfic. I haven't really sort of found a fic like this yet. If there is, please tell me and I will check it out to see if it similiar or not.

I am an Elijah/Elena fan but there doesn't seem to be a lot of fics about them sadly.

About this fic- It will be S/E/D in this chapter only perhaps. We'll save the best for last, won't we? ;)  
>It is loosely based off the S3 first episode so spoiler alert if you have not seen it yet! Kind of.<p>

**Disclamier**: Don't own anything except maybe the fanfic plot itself.

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><p><span>Remember Me as I Once Was<span>

Summary-S3 AU Elena made it very clear she never wanted to pursue forever, so Damon made sure she never did. 15 yrs later however, the past catches up to her in the form of Klaus. Not the only problem-somehow she accidently revived an Original. How can she manage to escape Klaus and his Ripper with the help of Elijah? E/E

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong> – Damon's show of goodwill

"_Stefan won't come back- not in your lifetime at least."_

It had been three months since they last saw Stefan. Elena hardly slept in her own house as she stayed at the boarding house with Damon in order to try to locate him. Whenever Bonnie and Caroline came up with a sort of lead, Elena's heart would beat faster, hoping against reality that this could be the big break she was looking for.

Sometimes, she wondered why she still bothered to tell Damon about these leads.

Whenever she went to inform him, he would shut them down as well as tear the hope she has. And she never notices the long disappearances of Alaric and Damon right after she tells him. Never noticed that the closet door in his bedroom was closed now when it used to be opened and displayed to the world that Damon Salvatore only wore expensive labels.

In fact, Elena took a page right from Bella from Twilight*. The only difference was that she tried to socialize, tried to move on in her life while waiting for Stefan to come back. _She tried_. But somehow it wasn't working because Klaus had destroyed her emotionally with the death of Jenna.

And everyone seemed to notice this.

Every once in a while, she would notice Damon watching her closely with a thoughtful look on his face and wondered if he was thinking about that good-bye kiss they had.

She hoped not, the last thing she wanted was more drama in her life even though a secret dark part of her wondered what it would be like to be with Damon as Andy seemed to really enjoy being with him.

0o0o0

Damon was scheming something behind Elena's back. While the fact that he was scheming wasn't anything new, he had to go to some great pains to hide it from Elena because he was pretty damn sure she wasn't going to like his idea.

However, it was for her protection and Stefan would have agreed to it had he been here. Of course, being the more noble person, Stefan would have asked Elena what her opinion on it was. He was cutting _that_ corner short obviously.

It was because of Stefan that Damon was scheming a plan for Elena's safety.

Alaric and Damon had gone to Tennessee to investigate the half-lead that Elena had presented to him and had his suspicions confirmed.

Stefan had gone Ripper again.

Every time he looked into Elena's trusting eyes filled with hope, he couldn't bring himself to tarnish the image she had of his brother. He would destroy the very fragile connection she had to reality.

Though secretly Damon began to resent her.

He knew from Stefan that Elena never wanted to become immortal-a vampire like them. She wanted to eventually move on with her life so why shouldn't she do that now? She had the chance to turn her back and no one would be the wiser. Not even himself.

If Klaus ever found out that Elena was still alive, he'll most likely come back to Mystic falls and have Stefan deal with her to seal the deal.

So he began to set up his plan. He antigonized Elena to the point that she stopped forgetting to drink vervain in her desperation to find news that Stefan was okay, that he'll make it back to her. In the meantime, he tracked his brother as stealthily as he could without attracting attention to himself.

After a few days, he stepped away and noted that Stefan (and that fucking bastard) was heading to Russia.

He also noted that Elena's birthday was coming up too and set off to find Caroline.

0o0o0

Whenever Elena saw Caroline, she made a point of reminding her that she wanted the party small. She knew she couldn't talk Caroline out of the party so she went along with it. After all, it wasn't every day Elena turned 18.

Elena should have known that Caroline would have gotten her way in the end.

Dressed in a white dress, Elena stared in amazement at the number of people in the boarding house for her birthday party. Immediately, she went for a drink, not knowing that Damn's eyes were following her from his seat on the couch, with a leggy blonde. It was okay because Andy had to work late and he wanted to try out some new flirty lines he thought up in boredom. They seemed to work as the leggy blonde shorten the distance between them as every minute went by.

Elena's breaking point came when she went to the bathroom. She had been checking to see if her makeup was holding up when her phone rang. With almost inhuman speed, she immediately picked up with a "Hello?"

There was a click at the other end and she leaned on the counter for support.

When she had recomposed herself, she went to the library with the good brandy. Elena didn't bring a glass as they were some in the library but knowing Damon, they were everywhere if you knew where to look. However, when she got there, she lost the desire to drink herself to oblivation.

Damon found her sitting on a couch, staring at the bottle of brandy hungrily and he smirked. It was all going according to plan, there was just one more phase to get the ball going.

"Y'know, just 'cause I told those other kids to go with the cheap stuff doesn't mean you're included." Damon said, as he confidently walked into the room, watching her being startled into reality.

He leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear deliciously, "What the birthday girl wants, she gets. That is if she can."

Setting the brandy down at the table with such force, Damon winced on the inside as Elena snapped, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

And unfortunately she did.

Seeing the hidden challenge in his eyes and wanting to wipe the cocky smirk off his face, Elena tilted her chin up in defiance. Picking up a glass from its place without looking, she set it down in the space between them on the table with a satisfying clunk.

"Start pouring." She said, raising an eyebrow, _Will you follow? _it read.

With a sexy smirk on his face, he did just that.

0o0o0

Elena fell on the bed, with Damon on top of her, kissing him with such passion, Damon regretted that she was drunk. In a flash, their tops were off and Elena fumbled with the buckle on his belt. It didn't make things easier as Damon kept on evading her (on purpose)and so it took her whole drunk concentration to unbuckle. Meanwhile, Damon placed butterfly kisses here and there on her bare skin as his hand brushed past her bra straps and closer to her necklace.

With a skilled maneuver, Damon had Elena's necklace off without her knowing. He had planned this for days, knowing Elena had skivvied off drinking vervain in her time of distress. Elena hadn't noticed but cried out in truimph as the belt went to the floor along with the other articles of clothing. As Damon quickly placed the vervain filled necklace under the matress, Elena sat up and mimicked the kisses Damon had given to her. In a flash, Damon groaned and started to kiss her once more. She placed both hands on his face and waged war with his tongue as Damon ran his hands expertly up her body before gently encircling her wrists.

In a flash, he had her pinned down on the bed, and watched as her chest heaved up and down in anticipation. However, he looked down at her in sadness as she locked eyes with him. Immediately, Elena's heart clenched with guilt and tried to compose herself as the Katherine part of her brain whispered,"While the other brother's away..."

"Damon, what's wrong?" she asked, gazing up at him in concern.

His irises glowed as he maintained the gaze as he spoke softly.

"You will forget everything concerning the supernatural…"

"I will forget…."

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><p>An - What do you think? Don't hesitate to review. This fic was mostly inspired by _Someone Like You_ by Adele as I imagine Damon and Stefan coming to check up on Elena when she's older. I might change the title later on as well as the rating for this story but I am not so sure yet.

*- I know its New Moon, not Twilight. But all the books are basically known as twilight now.

The first chapter will be posted later on this week. Here's a rough preview: Elena didn't know why Stefan had suddenly left town but one thing she knew for sure was that there was something her friends weren't telling her about and she wanted to find out. Just because she was still emotionally reeling from Jenna's death did not mean they could keep things from her.


	2. As Time Pass

**A/n**- Thank you so much for your reviews and alerts! XD I was so happy!

I mostly replied back to your reviews except one so here it is:

To Sam- you're right! I can't wait for when Elena realizes this but we still have a long way to go to get there -.-'  
>Also thanks for your complement and you won't have to wait too long for Elijah to come in! For Elena to meet Elijah however :P<p>

This chapter was getting too long so I cut it off. I'm sorry if it seems rushed and if it has grammer errors. It's mostly just a transition (that word that means to connect one paragraph to a beginning paragraph?) chapter before we get to the flow of the story. That will be in the next chapter after the next as I want to lay down the foundation right.

Enough, read on and enjoy please.

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><p><span>Ch. 1<span> – As Time Passes

_You will forget everything concerning the supernatural…_

Elena didn't know why Stefan had suddenly left town but one thing she knew for sure was that there was something her friends weren't telling her about and she wanted to find out. Just because she was still emotionally reeling from Jenna's death did not mean they could keep things from her. She noticed how her friends meet up without her and she feels left out. Had she really alienate them badly when she was still emotionally broken from Jenna's death?

She notices that Bonnie and Caroline seems more closer than ever, Alaric hanging out more with Damon as well as Jeremy, and she can't help but feel like she went to sleep for months and barely woke up. Confused about everything, Elena goes to the grocery store to pick up some ice cream. The trip always clears her head and gets her some comfort food.

Matt accidently runs into her when Elena was grocery shopping. As a legal adult, she automatically got custody of Jeremy and that meant the responsibilities of a parent as well. He pushes the cart for her as they catch up on what's happening in their lives. Matt glances at her suspiciously when she remarks on how left out she feels from her best friends but says nothing.

Meanwhile, the others were furious at Damon. Bonnie made him suffer in agony before her anger subsided enough to let him explain what exactly had he done.

Out of all of them, Jeremy was the most vocal.

He knew personally the effects of being compelled to forget were. With a promise to hurt him if Elena suffers more, he left with Bonnie to research a counter spell for compulsion. Caroline was furious as well but knew that Damon must have had his reasons. She also had enough drama to deal with on her own, what with Matt and Tyler. Alaric wished Damon had been more tactful about it but he couldn't argue about it since he had seen evidence of Stefan's evil side.

However, as days passed by, they all noticed a certain change in Elena, one that makes them hesitant about the wrongness of Damon's if he was right in doing something so wrong this time?

Finally, Damon tells them why he did it-the trail of bodies Alaric and him had been following were actually Stefan's. By erasing Elena's memories, Damon made sure she was safe from finding Stefan and from showing up on Klaus's radar.

Also, Andy was dead as Stefan's warning to Damon to stop tracking him.

The group let this sink in and eventually their outrage diminished as they saw a much happier and healthier Elena.

_Whenever you see or hear something that sounds remotely supernatural, think of some logical reason why it is._

Sometimes Elena would marvel at the speed Caroline gets things done or how lithe and graceful she was. Caroline used to be clumsy and such a airhead, now she was more serious. She notices how Bonnie grew a backbone and is no longer the quiet person she used to be. How Jeremy was more confident with his life.

But she challked it up as part of growing up.

Whenever she saw Damon, she notices him studying her when he thinks she was distracted and wonders why. The she'll blush, thinking about that drunk make-out session they had during her birthday party. Does he think she's a slut for making out with the older brother while her boyfriend had randomly left?

Strangely though, he never commented about that night and instead, they slowly grew apart. She saw him less and less until one time she catches him loading things in his car.

"I might go on a trip." was all he said and she knew why, Andy was dead and no one knew if she fell or killed herself on purpose. He goes into the house and the conversation is terminated.

A few more run-ins had Matt asking Elena out on a It-could-be-but-I'll-say-it-wasn't-if-you-reject-me date. By this time, Elena is angry at Stefan for skipping out on her without even an "it's not you, it's me" postcard and says yes.

In the end, they break up before graduation on a mutual agreement. They had grown too much from each other to be compatible as they were when they first went out. Somehow, Elena manages to be able to graduate with good grades along with everyone else and it seems as if everything is right in the world.

Caroline babbles on about what she should wear on graduation day as she and Bonnie merely looked at her amusedly. Matt and Tyler shoot pool as if nothing happened between them at all.

On the day they graduated, Damon throws everyone a huge party at the boarding house that had everyone talking about it for days. It was at that party that Damon stopped avoiding Elena.

"About that night…"she started to say when Damon winked roguishly at her.

"What night?"

She gave him a look.

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry about it. Congratulations on graduating Elena." He simply said as he handed her a manila envelope and left to flirt with some girls.

Elena was confused at the bulk of the envelope. What was inside- money? And for what? She opened it and pulled out its contents. Inside was the deed of the boarding house with everything already dealt with. All she had to do was sign it and the house would be hers.

She turned to glare in Damon's direction but he was gone. Elena searched for him all over the party but couldn't find him. That was the last time she saw Damon and as time went on, whenever she tried to conjure up Damon, she couldn't exactly remember the way he looked.

_Let your memories of Stefan and I fade with time, you'll eventually forget how we looked but remember -I was the hottest._

The day before the freshman semester started, Elena had a radical idea. Since this was the clean slate for her- why shouldn't she change her appearance? Elena was getting tired of just seeing her dark hair limp and she left to find the nearest hair salon.

Instead of the dark hair she had, Elena now had very light brown hair with different shades of blond highlights. She was pleased with how she looked. If anyone from Mystic Falls saw her, they wouldn't recognized her.

At the University of Boston, Elena decided to pursue her dream of writing and major in it. As the semesters blurred together, Elena found herself dating many men but she could never find that one who was the most compatiable.

_Change your appearance. The more drastic, the better. _

Somehow she had the crazy idea to study outside in the midst of a windy day. Elena mentally cursed herself for her idiocy when a gush of wind blew her papers right into the path of a male student.

"I am so sorry!" she said, blushing furiously in embarrassment as he helped her pick up her scattered papers.

"It's no problem. I was on my way back to the dorm." he said, smiling at her.

For the second time in her life, Elena fell hard in love.

0o0o0

His name was Joshua Evans and he majored in Business which was why they never bumped into one another although both recalled each other vaguely from a common core class back in freshman year.

Being in their last year, they hardly had time to finish their class load, let alone date each other, but somehow Elena and Joshua made it work.

When they graduated, Joshua asked her if she was willing to go to Chicago, a place neither had been to, with him. He had gotten a job offer there and though he knew Elena had planned to go back to her hometown where she was guaranteed a job, he asked anyway.

Miraculously, she said yes.

At age 21, Elena Gilbert never felt so happy than being with Joshua. Somehow he balanced her world.

_If you get the chance, leave Mystic Falls and never come back unless necessary._

At age 24, Elena Gilbert said yes to Joshua Evans' marriage proposal and rushed to call her friends to tell them the good news.

They come early for the wedding so they could catch up on the lives of each other. Though they had been texting and emailing each other, it was still a shock for everyone when they all meet up after three years. Elena got a bigger shock when she laid eyes on Caroline.

Time was Caroline's lover.

Though Bonnie seemed to have aged most out of all of them, nonetheless Bonnie and Elena looked slightly less than their age but Caroline seemed not to have aged at all.

It seemed as if Caroline's beauty was stuck at eighteen years old and when she commented at it, Caroline and Bonnie stiffen slightly. Before she can think about the strange reaction, Caroline laughed and told her it was probably because of her party life that made her seemed young. They all unknowingly relaxed and talked about the wedding plans.

When she introduces Joshua to them, they automatically give them their approval and if Joshua was shocked at the youngness of Caroline, he masked it well. Jeremy came as Bonnie's date and Elena wondered if things were getting very serious. She manages to discover that Jeremy planned on proposing to her soon.

It is at the wedding reception that she meets up with everyone from her old town. As one of the descendants from a founding family, naturally you had to invite everyone or else suffer the cold shoulder. She sees Alaric, who gave her away during the wedding as she adopted him as her father figure after Jenna died.

Strangely though, Caroline drifted away from Elena after the wedding. The group had decided it was too risky since everyone was starting to comment on Caroline's youthfulness. Agreeing with them, Caroline leaves to track Tyler down (he had left, frustrated at Caroline's games of yes and no). Caught up in her marriage bliss, Elena did not noticed Caroline's aloofness and by the time she did, it was too late.

Caroline wrote once a year and stopped visiting.

But that is how life is.

_But most importantly…_

Three years passed. Joshua is CEO of the company he started with. At first, the prestigious and rich families of Chicago had given them a hard time but once they realized that technically, Elena oozed prestige (being descendant of a founding familiy of a town) and Joshua was wealthy even before he became CEO, they welcomed them

She did her shopping on Michigan Avenue along with the other wives of Joshua's business partners. Her name was on the top five of charity causes that listed their wealthy benefactors/contributors. She lived in a penthouse lavishly decorated with tasteful furniture. There would be no interior decorator for Elena.

She is also an accomplished writer of many things. She wrote for magazines, newspapers, before getting her big break by getting her romance novel published under a pseudo name. She wrote a book or two on every genre possible before settling down with paranormal/supernatural for young adults.

Her fans were absolutely devoted to her as she wrote a continuing series about angels and demons.

If Joshua ever left her for some jailbait (as was the fashion among the wealthy currently), Elena felt sure she could hold her own financially.

In her 27th year, she sat heavily on the toilet seat in shock. Joshua was in the other room, gathering the files he needed that day. Elena knew she had to hurry herself if she wanted to catch quality time with her husband but she can only stare at the stick in her hand.

It was positive.

_Go on with your life and be happy, Elena._

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><p>An - So what did you guys think? Does anybody know some good Ripper!Stefan fics with a good dose of Klaus in them? Please review as more reviews gives me motivation to update :D

But I understand reviewers need motivation so here's the preview for the next chapter: _Elijah figures he received what he deserved. After all, the irony of it would have amused himself too- had he been the one to have done it. While he is being moved to where his family resided, he couldn't help but think of Elena Gilbert. _

We get Elijah's thoughts inside the box!

I'll update next week hopefully.


	3. Do Not Go Gently Into the Night

**A/n**- So the last time I updated was 09-24-11, was that before or after the chicago episode aired? Because if it was before, then damn I'm good at guessing plotlines.

And oh my-did you see the last episode about jeremy? It's like damn, you stole my plotline! kinda.

Sorry it's taken forever to update but I've had stuff to deal with and all that. I assure everyone that I have 80% of the plotline figured out and the next three chapters drafted.

**Warning**: this chapter could have been better but -lost at words- just be warned it is a crappy choppy chapter because I want to get to the action which is the next chapter. I'll probably go back and edit it later on hopefully.

**To my lovely reviewers: **Thank you all for reviewing! While I haven't replied back, please be aware that I read your reviews and go "yes!" everytime I get a new one.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my plot...sort of?

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><p><span>Remember Me as I Once Was<span>

Summary-S3 AU Elena made it very clear she never wanted to pursue forever, so Damon made sure she never did. 15 yrs later however, the past catches up to her in the form of Klaus. He's making her pay for a wrong she has no memory of, in fact she doesn't even remember anything at all. Not the only problem-somehow she accidentally revived an Original. How can she escape Klaus and his Ripper this time with the help of Elijah? Can she dare to trust him with her life? EE

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><p><span>Ch. 2<span> – In My Darkest Hour/ Do Not Go Gentle into the Night

_Though wise men at their end know dark is right,  
>Because their words had forked no lightning they<br>Do not go gentle into that good night._  
>(Dylan Thomas)<p>

Elijah figures he received what he deserved. After all, the irony of it would have amused him too- had he been the one to have done the backstabbing. He senses rather than sees the shock that is displayed on Stefan's face and wants to warn him against his brother Klaus. He wants to let him know that despite the way Klaus acts and talks like a gentleman, he is not honorable at all.

Unless it suits his intentions.

This is one of Elijah's last thoughts as his mind struggles to remain conscious, to fight against the darkness.

Though he stares at his brother with shock and a fraction of betrayal, from the corner of his eye he sees Katerina pale with horror. If that was how Klaus awarded his saviour, how will he treat Katherine's betrayal?

Elijah can hear his younger brother talking and trys to prevent him from thrusting the dagger deeper. He shifts his position slightly and sees Katerina more clearly. He can't help but think of Elena Gilbert. He regrets betraying her.

It was one thing for a lady (for she truly was) to betray a gentleman; it was simply dishonorable for himself to have done so. Has she awakened and realized his betrayal? At this very moment, is she cursing his very existence? Or could she truly be dead by now?

He thinks Elena would understand why he had to do what he did.

There is a sharp pain that resonates throughout his body, feels the blood stop throughout his body and the veins pop out. The dagger lay deep in his heart, stopping the immortal flow of blood from healing and reviving him. Letting out a final gasp at the pain, Elijah falls to the floor and tries to stay awake. He has unfinished business to resolve. His eyes shut automatically and his eyelashes fluttered as he tries to open them again but it is useless.

He falls unconscious to the darkness and knows no more.

_And you, my [brother], there on that sad height,  
>Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.<br>Do not go gentle into that good night.  
>Rage, rage against the dying of the light.<em>

It had frightened Stefan to see his older brother so calm, so _resigned_ as he revealed to him the werewolf bite. In fact, he could be telling him some random bit of information as far as Stefan could tell.

When Damon loses his composure, he is momentarily taken back and shaken. This is not his brother.

His mind flashed back to the memories he had of Damon, cocky and snarky, heartbroken and anguished, wrathful and lashing out, back straight and eyes flashing as he confronts their father…

There were so many versions of Damon that Damon, lying still on his bed, sweating and hallucinating wasn't one of them.

Stefan refuses to let that version be his last image of Damon.

It seemed as if his brother had given up and Stefan wished for any sign that will tell him his brother wasn't giving up. Hell, he would have settled for Damon trying to take Elena away from him.

Even though many times he had wished his brother dead, Stefan never meant for Damon to actually die.

After all, Damon was his older brother.

It took all his restraint to stop himself from shaking Damon and tearing him a new one for putting himself into harm's way. Dammit, wasn't it Damon who was always complaining about Caroline and how she was going to die thanks to Tyler?

The irony.

_Do not go gentle into that good night,  
>[…]<em>

It is Klaus who is the way out for Damon and heart sinking, Stefan goes to him. He knows what the answer would be. Damon had messed up Klaus's plan somewhat and has put himself underfoot to make sure the plan to break the curse doesn't go through.

He doesn't expect Klaus to readily agree to give Damon the antidote and when he hears the price, he hesitates only for a moment. He regrets his Ripper days, wishes he could forget about them completely (yet there is a dark side that raises its head and gives a prideful nod to those days).

And Stefan agrees to be Klaus's wingman.

It is much easier to fall than to get back up and Stefan falls oh so easily to the darkness that awaits him inside. He senses there will be no easy return, no Lexi to drag him kicking and screaming into something resembling to his human self.

Stefans says his goodbyes and glances around Mystic Falls.

It will be a long time before he sees it again, he is sure of this.

For a moment, he glances at the coffins being loaded into the truck and his eyes automatically fall on the new coffin. He critically analyzed the many different scenarios that could get them Elijah back but they all end in Stefan being dead. It is the last one to be entered into the truck.

"Follow me." Klaus ordered as he climbed into the car, without a backward glance.

Stefan pondered the thought of backing out of their deal, but knew Klaus would find ways to retaliate. He couldn't let Klaus find out that somehow Elena was still alive.

So he follows without another thought.

_Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright_  
><em>[…]<em>

Klaus throws at him many tests, many hoops for him to jump through in order to prove that Stefan's loyalty. He passes them with flying colors. When Klaus asks him to jump, he makes sure to ask how high.

They make their way through the USA in a leisurely pace, leaving behind them a bloody path.

One that Damon tracks down with ease.

Klaus does not like that at all.

"Make him stop following us." he orders, the _or I will_ implied in his tone.

He expects killing Andy would result in a heavy heart but instead he is elevated with the adrenaline high from the kill. He is no longer the Stefan Lexi had coaxed out of the Ripper...and yet he is not exactly the Ripper yet.

Which is too bad because he really liked Andy.

Days passed and Klaus no longer glances at him in suspicion. In fact, he is relaxed around Stefan and if he didn't know any better, he would say they were friends.  
>But he does know better, he was there when Klaus stabbed Elijah in the back. So Stefan automatically tenses when one day out of the blue, Klaus gently takes his head between both hands and orders, "Look at me."<p>

Trapped, Stefan looks into Klaus's eyes and is confused momentarily when Klaus says, "Remember what I have blocked long ago."

He sees memories of 1920s Chicago. He sees himself as he is now. In the crowd he sees a beautiful young woman smiling coyly at him next to a handsome blond man. One who looks eerily like Klaus. This one buys him a drink and later on, Stefan dances with the woman.

Klaus releases Stefan, knowing he is overwhelmed by the "new" memories that have returned to him, and motions someone from the shadows forward. Stefan's new loyalty must be rewarded greatly and Klaus knows this is the best way to do so.

Out of the doorway stepped a young woman from the past, the 1920s to be exact, disorientated and wary of her brother. Klaus will fix that too.

"Stefan, there is someone here who wants to see you." Klaus says before casually waving in the direction of the young woman.

Confused, Stefan looked past Klaus to see a slender blond girl staring at him. In his mind, the girl's facial features flash as a soft laugh graces his ears. He knew her very well, and loved her deeply. He gasped and a name is automatically on his tongue as if it never left.

"Rebekah?" he whispered and started towards her while she stared at him in disbelief.

But Klaus stopped him."Do you remember me?" asked Klaus with a glint in his eyes.

"Of course I do….you are my brother." Stefan said simply. Satisfied, Klaus lets him go towards Rebekah and leaves the room.

Klaus has formed a new family.

Stefan burns in his mind Rebekah's kisses, her caresses, as if any moment Klaus would take away his true love.

Elena Gilbert fades into the large past of his mind, softly and surrendering. He forgets her easily as if she'd never been.

There is no female out there who shines brighter than Rebekah.

_Rage, rage against the dying of the light._

A few months later, they head towards Russia as Klaus and Rebekah had fond memories of it. Stefan surprisingly had not gone at all to Russia in all of his years of living so they went to visit.

It didn't matter that the last time Rebekah and Klaus visited, it had been during the last czar's reign. Nor that they had taken advantage of the country's turmoil to make things more fun.

This time, they had Stefan. That made it all the more fun.

Many years passed. Stefan the Ripper blinks in surprise that a century hasn't passed yet. Only ten years.

Stefan had long ago forgotten the links to his humanity. In fact, he is feared throughout the world along with the Originals Klaus and Rebekah. However the unholy three are bored with Russia and Klaus drifts off by himself to experiment with his new abilities.

There are werewolves in Russia if you know where to leaves with Mindy, a witch he picked up on the streets of California, and leaves only a cellphone behind. Rebekah and Stefan leaves it behind as they travel across Russia once more.

Deep in the barren woods of Russia, there is a cottage. In the basement they say are rows of coffins while upstairs there are bodies scattered all around. A beautiful young couple lives there and should you ever set eyes on them, start praying to your divine being.

They will be the last sight you will ever see.

Or so the townspeople warn Klaus as he tries to enter it. He laughs and agrees to stay with an old couple for the night before moving on to another town. The people relax and wake up to find the handsome stranger gone and the old couple drained of blood.

He has found Rebekah and Stefan at walks in the room as they were heavily making out. It takes them a second to notice that he is angry and immediately Rebekah is at his side. It did not matter that they had not seen each other for five years nor that they had "forgotten" the cellphone he had left for them. The three were together again and that what mattered most.

"What is wrong my brother?" she asked as she laid a hand on his arm in worry."The curse isn't broken at all!" Klaus spat, looking like a spoiled brat.

"What?" Both Rebekah and Stefan exclaimed in shock.

Klaus tells them what had happened over the five years. How all the werewolves he bit had slowly went insane and died. How out of all the hybrids he made (differently each time), only one had lived for a month before sucumbing to the same fate as all the rest.

"We need to go back to Mystic Falls." Klaus declared. It had been bad luck for Gloria to die as she was one of the few powerful witches that had been willing to serve him.

Stefan automatically nodded in agreement. It made sense to go back to where the curse had been broken.

Rebekah sat on the couch before announcing, "I'm not going with you."

Both of them stared at her. She always went with them! How could she not come with too?

"I have to find my necklace so we can have more chance of knowing why Klaus can't make his hybrids." She said.

At this, their eyes dropped to Rebekah's throat where her standard necklace used to be adorned.

"What does the necklace has to do with anything?" asked Stefan, his eyebrows knitting together in a frown but Klaus nodded.

"My dear sister is right. With the necklace we can accomplish more and contact the Original Witch." he said thoughtfully.

"Where are you going to go?" asked Stefan worriedly. The original witch be damned, all he cared about was Rebekah's quick return to his side.

"To Chicago. The last memory I have of the necklace is in the windy city."Here, Rebekah and Klaus shared a look that only siblings could interpret, one where it said very clear where she might have lost it. She quickly left the room to pack.

Klaus turned to Stefan, who merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"We leave for tomorrow then."

Stefan nodded.

He had stopped resisting a long time ago.

_Rage, rage against the dying of the light_

He was rushing through the airport, trying to get to the correct gate on time. The way he expertly dodged and weaved through the crowds in the O'Hare airport marked him an old traveler. The way he was dressed, conserved yet richly, marked him a businessman. He was handsome in a older way with brillant unique eyes- cat eyes to be exact.

Just the way Rebekah likes her quick dinner.

She watches from the wings darken with shadows and anticipated the moment he would cross her path. He has crossed the paths of many women and stopped for none.

However he stops when a pretty and young woman drops her purse and everything falls out.

Herself.

He drops on his knees and sweeps all the stuff that scattered throughout the floor close to her. He looks up and notices that she is distraught by the fact that her stuff is all over. Something tugs at his heart.

"Don't worry about it, Miss?" he unintentionally drifts off in a question and curses himself out. He is happily married and does not need to go look for trouble.

"Rebekah. My name is Rebekah." she says softly, looking up at him from her eyelashes.

She knows she has him hooked and smirked mentally to herself.

Welcome back to Chicago, Rebekah. You'll be dining on one of the best Chicagoans offered.

* * *

><p>An- I know! Probably not my best chapter but the next one is going to be-well you'll see.

Please review and tell me what you think and how I can improve my characters if they were ooc.

A little motivation/sneak preview on the next chapter:

_She goes back to her hometown and notices that nothing has really changed-except the people. There is a new generation now.  
>Jenna's house looks exactly the same outside but she knows it is different inside.<em>

_She knocks._


	4. The Home That Built Her

**A/n**- Hello, everyone! Another chapter and we're finally getting close to the action. :)

I have nothing else to comment on except:

**Warning**: switching of verb tenses, choppy and rushed writing. Sorry. I try to be better.

**To my lovely reviewers: **Thank you all for reviewing!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything except my plot.

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><p><span>Remember Me as I Once Was<span>

Ch. 3- The Home That Built Her

_You leave home you move on and you do the best you can_  
><em>I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am<br>_...  
><em>I know they say you can't go home again<br>I just had to come back one last time  
><em>-The House That Built Me, Miranda Lambert

Elena Gilbert-Evans woke up exactly at five in the morning as usual. The familiar sounds of downtown Chicago drifted muted into her room. She heard the distinct roar of a train, the soft voices of people walking on the street, and the occasional furious honking. She stayed in the queen-sized bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling and hoping that maybe this day would be different.

Eventually, she got up even though it wouldn't make a difference at all if she stayed in bed or not. Elena opened the door to her closet and as she surveyed her collection of clothing, wondered what to put on today. She saw the bright colors of a summer dress and the darkness of a black conservative suit and pondered which one to wear.

Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the full body length view in her mirror, Elena had to say she was pretty satisfied at the way her life had been. She had a good marriage, a sweet child, and some good friends/family in her life. The fifteen years that had passed since her 18th birthday had only touched her briefly despite her heavy-load work much to the displeasure and envy of many women who knew her.

Only in a certain angle of light can the fine laughter and frown lines could be seen on Elena.

She got dressed in a conservative business suit and walked down the hall to peek into her child's princess-themed room before remembering that her daughter wasn't home.

Eliza was in Asia with her Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Bonnie. The reason why rushed into her head and made her lean heavily against the doorway.

Joshua, her husband, was missing, have been for a week now.

It had been a normal Friday morning when Elena had last seen Joshua. As usual, he left his packing to the last moment and barely kissed his wife and child as he rushed out the door in order to catch his flight on time.

Trying to get Eliza to eat her veggies, Elena barely managed to cry "Call me when you land!" before the door slammed and the engine roared.

As usual, Joshua forgot to call her or at least send her an email.

On Saturday, Jeremy and Bonnie came to visit her on their way to China with their son, Johnathan. When Eliza found out they were going to China, she begged to go along and they readily agreed to take their favorite neice with them. Elena reluctantly let her go.

She was alone in the house when Sunday came along and got a head start on her next novel.

It was only on Monday when the company had called the residence to speak to Joshua that Elena realized he never got on the flight. An icy feeling shivered through her bones as her face paled. What happened to Joshua?

She immediately filed a missing person report.

Some days she regretted filing that report since policemen would randomly come to wherever she was at and interrogate her more. They always told her the finding of the investigation going on into his background. That's how she found out about Joshua's campaign to become an Alderman of their district. With that small step, he would've been on his way to merge into the murky waters that was Chicago's politics.

The two policemen questioned her with delicacy as if one harsh quick question would make her crumble into tears. Elena knows they suspect her, after all, she didn't watch crime shows and come away with nothing. Finally, before the interview was over, one of them produced with flourish a picture from out of nowhere and placed it in front of her. Elena leaned closer to see it.

The picture is a fuzzy screenshot from a camera. Right away, Elena's eyes picks out the curve of her husband's back as he bent over to gather some things scattered on the floor. In front of him is a young blonde woman, very pretty, looking at him coyly.

"Ma'am, do you recognize the woman your husband is with?" asked the older policeman carefully.

Immediately, she shook her head.

"Think carefully Ma'am. 85% of the time, the wife knows the other woman from somewhere." said the younger policemen gently.

She flinched at the words "other woman." Could Joshua really have been cheating on her all this time? Could those trips really have been "business trips" instead? Thanks to the policemen, doubt started to take root in her heart and she longed for Joshua to waltz into the house like nothing happened.

Elena was a strong-willed woman. But like all other women, she shivered at the thought of infidelity and tried to look for support among her friends. She found none, only pity and fear. Is Joshua, who was one of the most close-to-perfect husbands out there, was cheating; what did that mean for them and their husbands? Elena understood and left them was only one place that would give her the comfort and strength she needed to get through this ordeal.

So she books herself a flight to Mystic Falls immediately after telling the police where she could be contacted at. After all, Elena had a perfectly good alibi on not being a suspect as that blonde woman was the last person to see Joshua.

The next day she boarded the flight to Mystic Falls.

Well to be exact, the closest city near the town.

0o0o0

The last time she had set foot on Mystic Falls had been about six years ago. That had been to be present for the birth of Bonnie's first child, her beloved godchild. Elena and her husband had stayed there for a week at the boardinghouse to help the new parents out, dousing out the helpful advice they wished they had when Eliza had been born.

For that whole week, Joshua had turned off his phone and let her dragged him all around town to show him the sights. However, he was more intrigued by the boardinghouse and all the antigues that were in its rooms.

"Is this boardinghouse in your family? It says on the plaque hanging on the wall that its the Salvatore house but your family is Gilbert, unless its an old wedding present when a Salvatore woman married into your family?" he asks, running his hand over the words _Salvatore_.

At this, she paused, and tilting her head to one side, tried to remember how it came to be in her ownership.

"I got it as a graduation present after getting my degree. Alaric gave it to me." she said simply, remembering how Alaric had handed her the deed to the boardinghouse.

He nodded in understanding and said, "So Alaric is descended from the Salvatore family?"

Automatically she nods and mentally frowns.

Alaric wasn't from Mystic Falls originally, in fact his family was mostly in-Elena's glance catches their one year old girl about to eat dirt.

"No! Joshua, Eliza is eating dirt!" she exclaims.

Quickly they averted the disaster and Elena smiles at the distinct memory.

Going back to her hometown, Elena notices that nothing has really changed-except the people. There are new generations of people now. Somewhere out there in Mystic Falls are three friends telling each other secrets. There are new decorations up around the town square and new store fronts. She tells the taxi driver how to get to Alaric's house and he leaves her in front of it with her big purse filled with essentials.

Elena's eyes grew moist as she took in the house that have once been her aunt's house. Jenna's house looks exactly the same outside but she knows it is different inside. Quickly she bounced up the porch stairs and stood in front of the door. Noticing that the door is slightly different from the one that it used to be, Elena raises her fist to the door.

She knocks. Once. Maybe three times.

Immediately the door opened to reveal Alaric Salzerman.

"Elena!" he exclaimed in surprise before hugging her.

She lets go of her grip on the bag and returned the hug, automatically smiling. Alaric was the adored uncle/stepfather that could have been and their relationship reflected it. Letting go of each other, they critically eyed the other person to see how they were.

Elena notices that his hair is almost fully gray, there are a few hairs that are sticking stubbornly to black, and though he stooped slightly, still stood as straight just like when she started knowing him.

Alaric notices slight bags under her eyes, the telling sign of Elena being overstressed and came to the conclusion that she needed a vacation. He motioned her inside and asks her if she wants something to drink.

She shakes her head no and her eyes immediately fall on the pile of suitcases by the stairs. Alaric notices this and grins sheepily.

"Listen Elena, you know you can stop by whenever you want. This is your house after all but...I'm actually leaving in an hour. There's a conferance for history buffs up in New York..." he drifts off awkwardly.

Elena rushes to reassure him that it was fine, that she should have called, and that she'll be fine staying by herself for a while.

"I actually came to soak up some inspiration for my upcoming novel so I wouldn't make a good roommate anyway." she says.

They danced around it until Alaric realized he was almost late for his flight and Elena basically pushes him out the door.

It is when the car is almost pulling out that Alaric realizes something and sticking his head out the window, he shouts, "There's nothing in the fridge Elena!"

The he was gone and she went back into the house. Immediately she goes to her old room, which was a guestroom now, and collapsed on the bed. Elena closes her eyes for just a moment and falls asleep.

The next morning Elena stared into the vast emptiness that was the refridgerator. Not. A. Thing.

Alaric hadn't been lying after all.

So after stopping at the Mystic Grill for a quick breakfast, Elena immediately went to the Farmer's Market store. The time flies as Elena shopped for things she needed and greeted the people who came up to her to say hello.

After two hours, Elena is done and wheels her cart out of the store. In her hurry she accidently bumps into a young blond man going inside with his girlfriend, and when he turns around with a frown, smiles at him apologetically but continue on walking fast to her car.

She completely misses the look of absolute shock on his face before it morphs into one of fury.

0o0o0

Klaus had gone to the store with Mindy out of boredom. He had tried to figure out what had gone wrong in his curse breaking but really, everything seemed checked off. All the bodies he buried in the forest were still there. There is a gravemarker for the doppelganger in her ancestral part of the cementary. Still, he had to wait for his sister to join them in order for all of them to figure out why. Stefan had left the house to find some food in a depressed state. That chap was always in the pits without Rebekah. He bumps into a woman who is in a hurry and he turns to see who it is. She smiles at him sweetly, the type of smile that made people smile back and forget why they were mad, and continues on to her car.

It is rare for Klaus to feel shock but he is.

Despite the fact that this woman is older, her hair is no longer the long straight darkness it used to be, he is sure (so sure he is willing to bet his collection of coffins on it) that he has just bumped into Elena Gilbert.

Klaus has spent centuries looking for the doppelganger that he knows the telltale features and this woman has them down perfectly. But how was this possible? As soon as he walked inside the store, he ditched Mindy and started investigating on the how.

0o0o0

Mindy was putting in the groceries when Klaus appeared with his brooding face on.

"Let's go." he orders.

It is as Mindy drives back to their hideout that Klaus thinks about what he has found out. He had been right, it was the doppelganger Elena but older. Somehow she had died and come back, not a vampire obviously, but still.

She is married now. She had gone to the university and gotten it all. The rich husband, the white-picket fence house, and although there was no mention of children, Klaus was sure there would be eventually.

If he lets her.

Anger boils and he strikes at the dashboard. Mindy flinches and the car swerves a bit but he doesn't care.

"Get out."

Mindy pulls over and gets out as Klaus slides into the driver's seat.

"I'll see you back at the house." He says as he shifts gears and starts driving. In the rearview mirror he sees Mindy walking to the bus bench that is slightly ahead of her. He has to visit an old friend.

0o0o0

After Elena put away her groceries, she started on writing her next novel. She has forgotten how much she loved Mystic Falls, how much the town inspires her to write. She pauses for a moment to think about why she never came back to Mystic Falls after the birth of Johnathan when the doorbell rings. Sneakily, she peeks out to see who it was and sees only a blonde teenager waiting.

Elena frowns and goes to the door. Opening it, she greets the teenager with a small smile.

"Hello, may I help you?" she asks, prepared to slam the door on his face.

"Now, now Elena. Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" says the young blonde man, leaning against the threshold of the door. Her hand tightens on the door knob and she places a hand on the door near her face.

Though his tone was one of politeness and his posture nonthreatening, a chill went down through her spine at the sight of him. It feels as if she's known him before and it frightens her so. However, she strengthen her spine and refused to let on how this punk had unnerved her.

She shook her head and said, "Young man, I think you have me confused with someone else. I haven't seen you before in all my years living in Mystic Falls."

At the mention of "young man" the corner of his mouth lifted up in amusement.

He got as close as he could to her and said, "How about you let me inside your lovely home and I'll help you remember what you have forgotten, Elena?"

Klaus has plans for her once he is invited in. He has plans that would make her scream in agony, make her cry, make her _pay. _She was the reason why the curse hasn't been broken at all!

"How about you quit harassing people, especially one of the benefactors of this town, and get off my porch?" retorted Elena back. She hated using her "descendant of a founding family" card but sometimes in Mytic Falls it was absolutely necessary. This teenager was calling her by her first name as if they had been friends or something and frankly, she has had enough of this freakiness.

Without waiting to see if he would leave, she slammed the door in his face and stormed up to her room.

She doesn't hear the curses Klaus spews as he leaves.

0o0o0

Stefan barely hears the door slam as he viciously pushed a young woman up on the wall and ripped into her throat. He greedily drinks up the blood that surges into his mouth as he tilts his head to get a good look at the doorway.

He relaxes when he sees Klaus stomp in angrily and rip the couch into pieces. It takes him only mere minutes before Klaus calms down and turns his attention towards Stefan.

"Ripper, brother, how about we go call on an old friend of ours?" asked Klaus charmingly as he settled into a chair and held his hand out for the glass of scotch Mindy had ready to give him.

Stefan frown as he thought about old friends he had in common with Klaus and found that they really didn't have any.

"Who?" he asked as he turned back at the blonde girl who was standing calmly behind him, her gaze blank and unwavering from the wall.

"Miss Elena Gilbert."

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><p>An- So, the title/song probably didn't go with this chapter but it inspired me to write this chapter lol. I hope you all enjoy the small cliffhanger ;) Or did you hated everything? Let me know.

Since I know reviewers need inspiration to review, here's a preview of the next chapter:

_She screams and runs to the back door. She is almost out past the threshold when she notices the shadow among shadows and skidded to a stop. He steps out into her view, placing his hands on the door frame._

_She is shocked beyond thinking. It can't be..._


	5. The Past Always Catches Up

**A/n**- Um...yeah. So it's been what? Five months? Sorry yo. Real life has me by the throat though i've been escaping to try to update/post up new stories. Not to mention I keep getting ideas for other fandoms *sigh* This chapter was the toughest for me to write. Not to mention that it probably seems rushed even after months.

**To my lovely reviewers\readers: **Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Reviews mostly motivate me to update ;)

**Chapter is dedicated** to my "editor" _devils fate_, for occasionally bringing me back to this fandom. It was a long wait wasn't it?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything except my plot.

Please review at the end!

* * *

><p><span>Remember Me as I Once Was<span>

Ch. 4- The Past Always Catches Up

Stefan blinks. His mind stops wandering over to delicious thoughts of ripping into the blonde's throat behind him. He doesn't know if he heard his friend clearly or not.

"What?" he askes in disbelief as he turns around to face Klaus once more.

Klaus grins and takes a long sip from his glass. The sneaky bastard always likes to keep people in suspense. He'll figure it out himself then. Stefan knows the name but he cannot place it with a face. Who is Elena Gilbert?

Stefan's mind conjures up an image of a dark beauty. She is dressed in a elegant dress, her curls arranged perfectly, and a coy smile is upon her lips. He frowns. That is Katherine Pierce, not Elena Gilbert. However it is just enough for his mind to click the pieces together. Elena Gilbert is a replica of the dark beauty. The doppelganger that Klaus has desperately needed and had gotten in the end. He remembers Klaus sinking his teeth into the exquisite blood that ran through Elena and draining her to death.

"Elena is alive?" he croaks out, shocked.

Klaus smiles, pointed a finger at him as he raises his glass to his lips, and says, "Of course. The doppelganger. She's my problem to this curse, Ripper. Let's solve that."

Stefan nods and parts his hands out in expectation before saying,"Are we going now?"

Klaus shakes his head, "Of course not, Stefan! Where would our manners be? We'll give Mrs. Elena time to settle her affairs by sundown tomorrow. After all, we aren't barbarians."

Inwardly Stefan rolled his eyes. Klaus was sometimes a hypocrite really. He waits for Klaus to finish drinking.

"I'll go call Rebekah and update her on this. Hopefully, she will have found the necklace and we can find out exactly how the doppelgangger is alive." Klaus said as he stood up and set the glass on the table before leaving the room.

Stefan and the girl are all alone again.

With a sudden speed, Stefan turns around and sank his teeth into the blonde. She doesn't cry out or struggles. He relished the sweet taste of her blood but Elena in his mind sours things. There is something Stefan should remember, something important, and it nags on the back of his mind.

But just what the hell is it?

0o0o0

"Really? The Forbidden City?" asked Elena in surprise. She is in her pajamas, ready to go to bed, and talking to her daughter Eliza in China on her cellphone. She paces back and forth in her old room as she relaxes to the sound of her daughter's chattering, of her description of the Forbidden City where her Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Bonnie had taken her and Johnathan.

"And Daddy? Can I talk to Daddy?" asked Eliza eagerly.

Elena's heart jumped to her throat as she lied, "Your Daddy is still on his business trip, honey. You'll see him when you get back."

She prays that Eliza won't keep on insisting to talk to her father like some times but Eliza just accepts it and started to talk about what she was going to do for the next three days. It is soothing to hear Eliza's voice, to know that at least someone was being protected from the drama happening right now.

"There's a pretty lady here with us, Mama. Aunt Bonnie says she's my aunt too! Auntie Care." babbled Eliza on joyfully.

At this, Elena stood up. Caroline was in China too? She suddenly feels as if there was a reunion of some sorts without her and briefly wonders whether Matt was also in China. Bonnie quickly tells Eliza to say goodbye to her mother because she wanted to talk to her. Bonnie knows she has committed a faux-pas but luckily Eliza didn't, otherwise she would have burst into tears about "not keeping the secret."

"_Zai jian!_That's good-bye here in China, Mama!" she said proudly.

"Goodnight Eliza." Elena replied just before there was the tell-tale noise of someone switching for the phone.

"Hey," started Bonnie, "Don't think that we planned this without you, Elena. We accidently bumped into Caroline in one of the specialty shops in Beijing and became glued to us."

There was an awkward silence between them. Though Bonnie and Elena were god-mothers to each other's first-born and talked to each other on the phone every other day, the fact was their friendship was becoming strained as the years passed. Elena was convinced that Caroline and Bonnie were keeping something from her but what?

"H-how is she? Caroline, I mean. I know Eliza is always in good hands with you." Elena asked.

More pause. As if Bonnie was choosing her words carefully to talk about Caroline.

"Good. Like always. You know how Caroline is." replied Bonnie offhandly.

_No, I don't know Caroline anymore._

Instead, Elena said, "Give her my love."

"Of course. Goodnight Elena."

"Goodnight Bonnie."

They both disconnect.

She felt exhausted all of a sudden. Placing her cellphone on her nightstand, she turned off the lamp and quickly fell asleep.

Elena dreams.

0o0o0

Elena finds herself in the woods of Mystic Falls. It is completely dark except for flickering light beams here and there. She looks around to find the light source and finds herself standing inside a ring of fire which flames almost reaches the top of her nose. Bonnie is outside, drawing so close to the fire that Elena opens her mouth to warn her not to step so close. In the flickering light, Bonnie is uncharacteristically solemn and sad, with something otherworldly in her eyes. She has never seen this side of Bonnie before.

Bonnie speaks to her. _I'm sorry._ It is an apology but she doesn't understand, for what? Elena opens her mouth to tell her best friend, the godmother of her daughter, that whatever happens, she will always forgive her...

The flames suddenly roar tall and bright, making Elena lose sight of Bonnie and the reassurance dies on her lips, thanks to the fright. Bonnie is still there-or is she?

This Bonnie is different, the facial features are all wrong, everything about this Bonnie is all wrong. This Bonnie is dressed in servant garb of the olden days though she stands tall with her chin up in regal pride. Without breaking eye contact with Elena, this Bonnie starts to speak but the crackling of flames devour her sentences and only the final sentence reaches Elena.

_You must remember._

Elena frowns. Remember what? Without her noticing, the flames die out dramatically and soft footsteps echo in the terrifying silence of the woods. She searches for the source of the sound but for a few heart-stopping moments she does not find it. It is on her right, her left, behind, in front of her, that sound of footsteps.

Finally, a figure emerges from the shadows of the trees in front of her. The moonlight shone light on the dark curls, the petite form, the confident stride as she walked until she was almost two inches away. It is Elena herself. But just like that different Bonnie, this is a different Elena. However, this Elena had everything Elena had. Everything was so chillingly perfect to the very last detail except...

This Elena was ancient. There is no other way to describe her. She is dressed in clothing so old, if she tells Elena it is from the time of Jesus himself, she would not doubt it. This Elena has a child on her hip, almost the same age as her own Eliza, and she speaks just like the other two. Just one sentence.

_You must be brave, daughter._

They stare at each other, the same eyes, different feelings in them, when suddenly she is yanked back and Elena gasps in surprise as the child falls on the ground and begins to cry. Elena watches in horror as the young blonde man from this evening sucks her dry, as she tries to fight him off.

But most of all she watches the forgotten child sitting on the floor. The child grows until the age of seventeen and then the child shifted. The child is a girl, then a boy, a boy, then a girl, and etc. It goes on, each with their own familiar features depicting the family line they represent, until Elena sees a mirror image of herself again but this Elena is too conceited, cruelty is in her eyes, and it shifts to a girl again. Once more it goes on until it is Elena herself, this she knows for sure, and it shifts to a girl she does not know yet but will soon. Elena knows those cat eyes very well.

It is her daughter Eliza at age seventeen. This is her family line. She has tears in her eyes, so like Joshua's, and opens her mouth to speak as she locks gazes with Elena.

Then the blonde young man reaches for Eliza and whatever Eliza had to say died on her tongue as Elena screams in true terror. Behind them stands Bonnie, other Bonnie, and other Elena. Together they whisper softly to Elena as she watches him suck the blood out of future Eliza. It is just one word but it sends shivers of fear down her spine. Her mind prickles, she knows this word. Here she knows it very well.

_Klaus._

0o0o0

Elena wakes up, her heart is pounding so fast she fears a heart attack. Checking the time on her alarm clock, she notices that only two hours had passed while sleeping. It is now two in the morning. She turns on the light as she gets up and begins to pace while taking deep breaths.

_'It was just a dream. Apparently, you're too spooked by what happened yesterday with the blonde teenager.'_ she reassured herself.

The light casted from the lamp is too dim and unknowingly, Elena goes throughout the house, turning on all the possible lights. It is only until the house shines brightly that Elena feels her nerves -and her heart - settle down. She glances at the painting dominating almost the whole wall and smiles. It had been her favorite when she had been going through the horse-loving stage. With one hand, she traces the outline of the horse, feeling nostalgic. Her hand then lightly runs over the trim of the frame

Her hand suddenly rested on the journal behind the painting and she stills. How long has it been since she wrote in her diary? She gently takes out the diary from its hiding place. Elena cracks it open and immediately notices that there are multiple pages missing -in fact half of the journal was missing. She flips through the pages, skimming the entries, realizing with a pang that she never really kept up with the journal after Aunt Jenna died. In fact, she kinda stopped keeping a journal period.

She read the last entry she wrote on the last page, the truly last time she had been in Mystic Falls, surrounded by her friends.

_I'm really going through with this. I am going to go to Boston, to study my passion. Hopefully, it'll all work out._

Only a short sentence about her hopes and nothing else beyond that. Guilty at this, Elena vowed to start keeping a journal again and writes in it throughout the whole day. Though she doesn't remember all that she did back while studying in the university, she tried to write details of what she did remember.

Her mind keeps going back to the missing pages - what did she do with them? What happened to those pages?

0o0o0

"How's it going in Chicago, Rebekah?"

She rolls her eyes at the tone her brother was using before replying, "Very well, actually. As you can see, I've already found it and am just staying put just because, Nik."

"Now, Now, don't take that tone with me Rebekah." Klaus warns. Once more she rolls her eyes at her reflection in the window. What the hell can he do to her many states away?

As her brother continued to talk, Rebekah casted a well-satisfied glance around the condo she managed to acquire right in the heart of downtown. She could look into the middle of Millenium Park from where she was standing.

" - the doppelganger is alive, Rebekah." finished Klaus.

She blinks, her expression arranged to one of shock. She hadn't been awake for that episode (and frankly she was glad she wasn't. She wouldn't have standed her man mooning over some imitation girl of his sire, who he loved before being turned. Seriously.) but she had gotten the dirty details from both Stefan and Nik. The doppelganger was drained of blood, Nik became a hybrid, Elijah got stabbed figuratively and literally, and etc.

At the thought of her older (once favorite) brother, Rebekah felt guilty. Klaus had daggered Elijah and pulled the dagger from Rebekah in a twisted sort of exchange. A sibling for another. Nik hadn't told her the details of why he had been daggered since Elijah had always been honorable and kept to his word.

Except for that one time they managed to find the doppelganger bitch, Katerina, and she had escaped. It had been the last time she had seen Elijah. Elijah had seperated his path from theirs then. Perhaps, he had changed and that's why Nik had daggered him.

"How is that possible Nik?" she asked.

"I don't know, dear sister. But tonight, Ripper and I are going to get reacquianted with our mutual friend. Find that necklace fast Rebekah."

He hangs up on her. She sets the phone down on the table to the right of her side and continued to stare out of the window, thinking. Rebekah had retraced her steps but no luck. Had it been two months, she would have found it by now but it has been decades and the city has changed. Only the outside because the inside of Chicago was still rotten and corrupt just as it was in the roaring 20s. Made it feel like home.

The man from the airport is suddenly behind her and she feels a surge of desire throughout her body. He really was a handsome man and rich too.

"So you're awake then?" she said, quirking an eyebrow at him through her reflection in the window before turning to him, "Good. How about you and I reenter the bedroom so you could finish what you started, hmm?"

He nods and turns to walk to the bedroom. Rebekah follows, licking her lips. He might just be the one with the best blood - it was simply delicious.

She postponed the search for the necklace to tomorrow. Rebekah needed to take out some frustrations.

0o0o0

He gave her a full day. Klaus is a gentleman after all. From the corner of his eye, he sees Stefan being restless. Stefan is ready to go though there is something worrying him from the look of that frown.

"It's almost time to go." he stated as he turned to Stefan and giving him a smirk.

"Why aren't we going now?" Stefan asked sullenly. The guy was all action and no thinking nowadays. He remembered a time where it has been the opposite. Stefan had been cautious, a strateger, when it had been all about keeping Elena alive.

His smirk turned wider. Perhaps he'll convince Stefan to kill the doppelganger if it turns out they didn't need her. An ironic situation that will greatly amuse him.

Mandy enters the room just then and Klaus turns to her with a raised brow.

"The room is ready for our guest." she announced.

"She won't be an inconvienance?" he inquired.

Mandy's head shook in response and he felt a sense of thrill. This time, he'll make sure the doppelganger stays dead...after she amuses him. Klaus turned back to the window and stayed in front of it, displaying to the occupants just how eager he was for sunset.

Soon, it came.

Klaus watched the rays of the sun dim at the approaching of the night and he smirked.

"Let's go."

The look on Stefan's face said, "Finally."

They took the car just for the cover of normalcy.

0o0o0

The doorbell rings and she automatically gets up to get it, cracking her back in relief. She had spent the whole day writing about the last 10 years of her life. Elena was currently at the time of her pregnancy and was writing down every detail she could remember about it.

The doorbell rings once, twice, a couple of more times rapidly.

"Alright already! I'm coming!" she grumbled to herself as she grasped the handle of the door and opened it.

She bit back a cry of surprise at seeing the rude blonde gentleman again.

"Now would you invite me in Elena?" he said cockily.

She retorted, "Why would I? I don't know you!"

"But I know you, Elena and frankly my dear, that's all that matters right now."

She makes a motion to close the door but a long cane suddenly blocks it from closing and force makes her take a step back as the door flew open again.

"That was rude. You used to have such good manners. Such a shame the years erased them." he said, mockingly sad.

"Just go away and leave me alone before I go and call the police!" she exclaimed, her heart thudding fast.

His face, teasing and light, turned dark and when he spoke, she started to fear for her life.

"Make one motion to call the police and I will kill them once they arrive." he said, veins starting to pop out around his eyes. His eyes started to turn red and when he smiled, the points of fangs showed.

Elena screams and runs to the back door, which she had opened earlier in the day to let in the breeze. She is almost out past the threshold when she notices the shadow among shadows and skidded to a stop. He steps out into her view, placing his hands on the door frame.

She is shocked beyond thinking. It can't be...

0o0o0

It is Stefan Salvatore. Her first passionate love.

Elena remembers him dimly from the photos she has from junior and senior years but it can't be, not logically. Who she thought was Stefan Salvatore couldn't possibly actually be him. He should be the same age as her now not frozen at seventeen years.

Nonetheless, she shockingly stammered out, "S-stefan?"

He nods and steps forward inside the house. She takes a step back. He takes a step forward. Elena turns to run but he is immediately behind her and grabs her by the neck before dragging her to the front door. Choking, Elena tried to pry off his fingers but to no luck. "Stefan's" hold on her neck was unbreakable.

From the corner of her eye she could see that the blonde teenager is wearing a smug smirk. The Bastard. When she got freed from this Stefan look-alike she was going to -

Elena's thoughts are shattered as he suddenly released his hold and pushes her across the threshold of the door. She stumbles from surprise.

"Go make sure everything is in place. I want no one to suspect anything, Ripper." ordered Klaus. With a nod, Stefan disappears for a minute before he was back. Elena blinked. That...no one was that fast!

"Done."

With extreme confidence, Klaus grabs Elena and drags her down the sidewalk before shoving her roughly into the car. Meanwhile Stefan got behind the steering wheel and turned it on.

The drive towards wherever they were going was silent.

0o0o0

They pulled up to a mansion that had seen better days, a beauty clinging on to the good old days. As soon as the car stops, Elena quickly opens the door to escape but Stefan is there in a flash, grabbing her arm tightly. The blonde chuckles in dark amusement.

Elena tries to wrench her arm from Stefan's grip but he is too strong for her and ends up hurting herself more. Stefan doesn't even notices that she's trying to escape anyway as he leads her inside the gorgeous foreclosed mansion. He drags her down the long elegant hallway and she notices a young woman peeking out of one of the rooms they've passed. Klaus slows down and stops in front of three rooms.

"Throw her in there." Klaus orders, pointing to a room with close doors.

At the sight of the room, Stefan hesitates. Noticing this, Klaus gave him a look.

"Well, don't daddle." he said, his voice crisp and commanding.

Without a further thought, he pushes Elena into the dark room. She stumbles and places her hand on a table to stabilize herself. Something clatters to the floor behind her before the door closes, leaving her in the dark. Kneeling on the floor, she felt her way across the floor to where the sound had stopped and her hand touched something.

She quickly figured out it was a flashlight and sighed in relief.

Turning on her flashlight, Elena rapidly casts its glow all over the room to see her surroundings. She notices that the table she was leaning against wasn't actually a table.

It was a coffin.

Looking around the room once more, she quickly realizes that it wasn't the only coffin in the room. There were perhaps four more, all placed in a semi circle around her.

She drops her flashlight as a scream fills the room and bounces off the wall. She bangs, pulls at the door, and struggles to get out but the door is enforced and locked. From outside, Klaus laughs at her screams. He has big plans for her.

It is only the beginning of her screams.


	6. On the Other Side

**A/n**- Um...yeah. So it's been what? Five months? Sorry yo. Real life has me by the throat though I've been escaping to try to update/post up new stories. Not to mention I keep getting ideas for other fandoms *sigh* This chapter was the toughest for me to write. Not to mention that it probably seems rushed even after months.

**To my lovely reviewers\readers: **Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Reviews mostly motivate me to update ;)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything except my plot.

Please review at the end!

* * *

><p><span>Remember Me as I Once Was<span>

Ch. 5 - On the Other Side

_She cautiously walked through the woods. It was night, the air was chilly, the full moon was bright, and there was something about this scenery that sent her "witchy senses" alert. Then again, she knows these woods very well, grew up around them, partied in them. _

_These woods of Mystic Falls. _

_She stepped out into a clearing and immediately tensed._

_A circle of fire stood in the middle, flames roaring up high but she could still see a figure standing inside.__ The figure turn to the side and the glow of the flames casted it's light upon the face. A face she knows very well._

_Elena._

_Elena fully turns around to face her directly, her face bears the signs of having cried. Blood adorned her neck, bringing out the vivid whiteness her skin was unnaturally. She began to speak. Through the roaring and crackling of the flames, Bonnie manages to hear one word only. Yet it still made her cold._

_"Why?"_

Bonnie's eyes snapped opened to meet Damon's.

"What were you dreaming about?" he asked, his eyes intensely staring into hers.

Bonnie took a deep breath to calm down her furiously beating heart before she muttered, "I don't know."

It's true, she doesn't... know the meaning of the dream and that is what scares her the most.

Damon tusked and waved a finger at her before straightening up. She knows he knows that she's keeping something from being around them so often. The years of being around each other had matured Damon or perhaps she had matured enough to understand Damon to the point that they were now...friends.

She places a hand on her husband's shoulder...only for it to touch the comforter on the bed. Well, if that didn't wake her up completely. Bonnie was usually the first of the couple to wake up and for Jeremy to have gotten up, that meant she was running late today.

"Where's Jeremy?" Bonnie asked as she got up from bed and stretched.

Damon flung open her closet and began to rummage through it like he owned it.

"He and Barbie went to get some "authentic" food for lunch. Apparently, he doesn't get that_ I'll take care of it_ at the end of the trip." he said as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. One of the constant things that Damon and Jeremy were fighting on was who was going to foot the bill, with Jeremy insistent on paying his family's part and Damon insisting that he had enough money to fully pay several generations through prestigious higher education and still have some left over.

"And the children?" she asked as she began walking to the bathroom.

"In the room, playing Candy Land with their Aunt." Damon responded as he threw Bonnie's outfit on the bed. "Hurry up, your husband will arrive soon with the food and Elena will call soon."

0o0o0

When Caroline had glanced at the second child accompanying Bonnie and her family, she knew immediately who it was. Eliza Evans, daughter of Elena Gilbert. If not for the fact that she knew what doppelgänger looked like, Caroline would have mistaken Eliza for being Elena's doppelgänger.

In a way, Caroline Forbes envied Elena so much. She had gotten the normal life Caroline so coveted now. The boring destiny of living in Mystic Falls appealed to her greatly.

"Auntie, it's your turn." John prodded Caroline.

"Oh, is it?" she said, blinking down at the game board. Those sneaky children had "skipped" Caroline's turn to the point that instead of winning, she was now losing.

The children giggled at seeing their Aunt's reaction. It was what drew Damon's attention from the newspaper to the game he had refused to play, despite Eliza's pout of disapproval.

"Even children can outsmart you, Carol." he snarfed before returning to read the news.

.

.

.

Despite that three days had passed with no nightmares like the one she had of Elena, Bonnie couldn't help but feel a sense of dread begin to grow in her stomach. Elena had not called at all in the past days to talk to Eliza. Eliza had not yet noticed this slight, Damon and Caroline doing their best to distract her from becoming aware of the fact.

"Don't worry too much about it, Bon." Jeremy said, turning to the side to face her clearly as he gently held her hand that was fidgeting in the bed sheets.

"But Elena never misses a call, Jer, and shouldn't Joshua have called instead if Elena was busy? He should be back now."

Jeremy's face had started to reflect her worry until Joshua was brought up and he smiled instead.

"That's probably why. You remember our honeymoon, don't you? Our second one? Despite Elena repeatedly dialing us and Damon too, we ignored them. Elena and Joshua are probably caught up in each other that they lost track of time."

Bonnie bit her lip, it did make sense what Jeremy made sense, and she started to relax slightly. Seeing this, Jeremy continued to reassure his wife.

"See? We know Elena and Joshua very well. If you can't trust that, then trust the protection and alert wards you casted on Elena's home. Had something happened to them, you would've known right away."

Bonnie finally relaxed.

"You're right, I'm probably overreacting."

0o0o0

_She finds herself once more in the woods except this time, there is no Elena. No crackling fire._

_But something much worse._

_Looking all around her, she sees women surrounding her in a circle, all of them staring accusingly at her._

_She knew them all and yet she didn't. The Petrova beauty passed down in generations. To her right, near standing besides her was Elena, hatred in her eyes._

_"He's here." a voice whispers, and Bonnie locks eyes with the woman in front of her. _

_A woman with cat eyes. _

_"Who's here?" she demanded to know, heart beating rapidly. Bonnie needed to know, to prevent the return of the supernatural in Elena's life, in Eliza's future. _

_But suddenly there was fire blinding her, and Bonnie blinked._

_And every one of them was gone. _

But when Bonnie wakes up to gaze into the eternal frozen handsome face of Damon Salvatore two inches away from her face, she didn't say one word.

Not even when he rested a hand on her shoulder and asked, "What did you dream?"

Bonnie Bennett-Gilbert said, "I don't remember."

Because she doesn't want it to come true.

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><p>AN- This chapter is choppy but I'm trying to get back into the zone for this story and hopefully finally complete this. We shall see how it goes. Please review!


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